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Topic: Anybody got one yet? (Read 4366 times)

Anybody got one yet?I have paid a deposit on my EX Morpho blue pearl demonstrator. but I can't have it until 12th December as the dealer has to keep it for at least 90 days to comply with Honda's terms. Can't wait. 53 days to go.

Took delivery of my diesel HR/V EX on Wednesday (18th November). Not had a massive amount of time to drive it yet or try out all the toys. Going on a run on Saturday and Sunday, so I will take a few pictures and write up some thoughts when I have done that.

Initial impressions though are very positive. The car handles well, has great low end power on the steep hills in my part of West Yorkshire, and is very comfortable. There are a few minor oddities, such as the location of the USB ports, the complexity of the touch screen system and the auto 'hand' brake needing to be set on every time you start the car. These really are only minor though and I'm sure I will soon get used to them.

One highly amusing thing though was the provision of a 'Rear Shelf Owner's Manual' in the (huge) documentation pack.This comprised a single A4 sheet telling me how to install the parcel shelf and not to put any parcels on it.

Also, as well as a 132 page Navigation System handbook, there is also a 624 (count 'em) page full handbook for the car. It is massive. I think I will use it as a chock under my wheel to reassure me that the car won't roll down the hill when the auto handbrake fails to engage!

I test drove this actual car, then test drove a one year old 1.5 Diesel Qashqui, then checked out a three year old FreeLander 2, then test drove a petrol HR/V before finalising on this car. The Freelander was just too big, unwieldy and chunky, although very well specified and classy. The Nissan was somehow vulgar and seemed dated. It also was not noticeably any larger than the HR/V and seemed underpowered somehow. The petrol HR/V was fine but happened to be an Auto so it was hard to compare the drive. I did feel it struggled on the hills and did not have quite the same pulling away oomph as the diesel.

I was really lucky to be able to sign on this HR/V on Saturday and take quick delivery as it was a cancelled order which the dealer was using as an unofficial demonstrator. So I got my two month old, 670 mile on the clock, HR/V EX 1.6 iDTEC in Modern Steel Metallic, which already had a 5 year servicing plan and that coating stuff inside and out (I know!) for £21,995. That's a lot of money, but I reckon it represents a saving of around £5,000 on list price, so I am happy with that.

Congratulations. Sounds like you are really happy with it.Have a great weekend finding out how everything works and enjoy the drive.I am very envious. Can't wait for mine. They say time flies when you get older. Normally I would agree, but definitely not the last few weeks since placing my order. 21 days to go.

So I finally got the chance to take the HR/V for a run this weekend. Saturday was a whole melange of short journeys here and there with a good opportunity to get used to the auto-handbrake and start playing around with some of the toys in the car. As an urban runabout, it is doing a great job, with the parking aids and reversing camera making parking a real pleasure. The engine warms up reasonably quickly, with warm air reaching the cabin after about a minute, which is important on these cold winter days.

The car was supplied with a full tank of fuel, so, not knowing whether they 'brimmed' it or not, and given it has less than 1,000 miles on the clock, I am just going to go off the car's own miles-per-gallon display for now. So my first 50 miles or so were short journeys from cold in and around my hill town, and the car was showing 30-32 miles per gallon. Yesterday, I was able to zero the display and take the car on an 80 mile mostly motorway with some A roads trip into North Yorkshire. I must admit I was driving quite aggressively and pushing well beyond I should on the motorway, and still that car showed an average consumption for the journey of 52mpg.

I fully expect that, when properly run in, and driven sensibly, I should be approaching a real world reading of 55-60 mpg on a country run, rather than around town. I have always had a heavy right foot and never really got near the mythical consumption levels I have seen people on here get with their Jazz's. However, when the car is glowing a green dashboard reward for eco-driving, when you are doing 90mph in 6th gear, it does give me a wry smile.

The HR/V overall feels like a really well put together package. It has a similar stance to my CR/V, with massively more space inside than my Jazz. The feels confident on the road, and has all the power I need from a car right now. Noise is noticable but not intrusive and the ride is very comfortable. I have missed leather and it is great to have it back, along with the heated seats. The driving aids will take some time to get used to. Lane-assist is annoying but there is an off button - the thing is, I want to leave it on as it is only telling me to do what I should have done. It strikes a fair balance in sensitivity, not always going off when you cut a corner on a fast bend.

My only niggle so far is the complicated Audio / Sat Nav interface. When you are in the Garmin mode it is fine, looking just like my old Garmin Nuvi system and my son's newer one. The Android functionality is just pointless as far as I can see. I don't believe I would ever use it, nor would anyone who had a decent smartphone. Why would you want to browse the internet on your car's screen? Or watch video? It's the audio functionalty that bugs me. The User Interface is reasonably simple to use - if you are stationary. But it is just too simplistic, and some of the touchpoints are just too tiny. I think Honda should have engaged the services of a professional user interface designer to properly lay out the screen and reduce the number of levels you need to dive down to achieve a basic function. There is no off button, pause or mute button, that I have found yet, for example. So If I am listening to something and then I pick up a passenger, I have to hold the volume minus button down, or change to a source which is not connected, e.g. bluetooth, to be able to get silence and have a conversation. I sure familiarity will come with time.

In summary, I am really pleased with my purchase and am looking forward to many miles of driving in this car, by the end of which, I expect I will have figured the radio out.

Collected my new HR-V on Saturday and have now done over 200 miles and I have to say I am really so very impressed.I am gob-smacked at the amount of electronics on board and I am still learning and will be for quite some time. If I tell you the instruction manual is 622 pages and another 130 pages for navigation, you will realise what I mean.Without a doubt it is the nicest and one of the most comfortable vehicles I have ever driven.

Collected my new HR-V on Saturday and have now done over 200 miles and I have to say I am really so very impressed.I am gob-smacked at the amount of electronics on board and I am still learning and will be for quite some time. If I tell you the instruction manual is 622 pages and another 130 pages for navigation, you will realise what I mean.Without a doubt it is the nicest and one of the most comfortable vehicles I have ever driven.

I couldn't agree more. I've got about 300 miles on my purple people mover and I can't seem to want to get out of my car. Also still getting used to the seemingly endless features. I seem to find something new each time I start the car. It satisfies my needs and exceeds all expectations. Can't wait to get this little guy on a long drive!!